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Father took gun from Dereck Holt the day before he allegedly assaulted three women

By JENNIFER TODDLancaster Newspapers

Updated:
01/03/2013 01:27:17 AM EST

Dereck Holt used a stun gun-like device when he allegedly tortured three elderly sisters last month in what police have called an act of rage against the Mennonite community.

If Holt's father had not intervened, however, the victims might have been staring down the barrel of a gun.

According to documents filed Friday by Lititz police, Holt was in possession of a .22-caliber handgun on Dec. 13, the day before the women were assaulted in their home on Indiantown Road in Clay Township.

Holt's father, Dennis Mearig, took the gun from his son and hid it, a move that sparked an argument between the two later that night at a Lititz eatery.